


For the Heroes Who Quit too Late

by Darkmagyk



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Baby Names, F/M, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 22:11:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4582002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkmagyk/pseuds/Darkmagyk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You ever play Clone Wars as a kid?"<br/>It's an odd, out of nowhere question. Not even accounting for the fact that childhood is something never spoken between them.<br/>But Lando is a good friend, so he gets up and ruffles though the cabinet until he finds some Corellian Whiskey and two glasses.<br/>OR<br/>Han and Lando get drunk and talk about feelings.<br/>OR<br/>Why Anakin Solo got his name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For the Heroes Who Quit too Late

**Author's Note:**

  * For [philthestone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/philthestone/gifts).



> I have no knowledge of the old EU. This is not meant to be canon with any of it. Basically everything I know comes from [philthestone's](http://phil-the-stone.tumblr.com/) fic and tumblr, which is why this is gifted to them. Because its all their fault.  
> Also, I'm not terribly comfortable writing Han or Lando, but I am very comfortable writing meditations on Anakin Skywalker, so good luck.

“It’s what, two months now?” Lando asks.

“Yeah, the twins were early, but I’m told that’s common with twins.”

“Maybe you’ll get a surprise…”

“Don’t say that, I can’t handle that. Besides, we’ve had med droids and Jedi Masters confirm. Just one new kid. Solo.”

"Well, I guess that's good, Han Jr and Hana might have gotten confusing." Lando grins brightly, clearly going for the easy laugh.

Han doesn't return it, instead he looks Lando in the eye, face grim and serious."You ever play Clone Wars as a kid?" He asks

It's an odd, out of nowhere question. Not even accounting for the fact that childhood is something never spoken between them.

But Lando is a good friend, so he gets up and ruffles though the cabinet until he finds some Corellian Whiskey and two glasses. He brings it back to the table and pours both of them four fingers worth to start with. He doesn't know where this is going, but he knows it isn't going to get there without at least a little alcohol.

After they have both taken long sips he answers "'course I did. I think every kid in the galaxy did. Getting into fights with your friends over who were the clones and who were the droids, arguing over which jedi you were gonna be. Skywalker and Kenobi, normally. At least that's who it always came down to with us?"

Han takes another long drink. "Who'd you choose?"

"Kenobi, smooth talker just like me." Lando grins.

Han doesn’t say anything for another couple of sips."Smooth talker, alright. Pay a guy 20% of the asking price for transport and then call you a fool for following him."

Lando bursts out laughing before he remembers the sleeping toddlers in the other room and quickly lowers it it a chuckle. "Never heard that one. But there must have been different stories all over the galaxy. What about you? You want to be a negotiator?"

It's said with a smile, but Han shakes his head solemnly.

"I got in multiple fist fights for not being allowed to be Skywalker."

"If rumors serves, that's what he'd have done.'

“No” Han disagrees, “he'd have said you should want to be  Kenobi." He finishes his glass and pours himself another in quick succession "Kenobi'd probably tell you to be Yoda or, what's his name, Windi."

"Windu. Mace Windu. He was my second favorite, liked his taste in colors." Lando refills his glass too. "What about you? If it wasn't the fist fights? Why'd you choose?"

"He was a pilot, the best pilot in the galaxy, they said in the news. I wanted to be half as good. He was my hero."

"The Jedi were everyone's heroes when we were 10."

"Yeah, but not everyone's turned into Darth Vader." Han offers, it's not bitter the way it would have been once, it's...not quite resigned, but accepting of where they are at now.

“No, but given how many people’s hero he was, you aren’t exactly in bad company.”

“Ok, how but this, not everyone's hero turns out to be Darth Vader, and then captures and tortures him.”

“He tortured a lot of people, too.” Lando tries

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who married his daughter.” Han finishes.    

“...Yeah,” Lando says slowly, looking at him, “I…that’s true, but, I’m not actually sure where any of this is going anymore.” It's hard enough, some days, for Lando to believe any of this stuff. And he’s not the one with queens and Jedi and kriffing Darth Vader as in-laws.

“Leia, and I were talking about baby names the other day.”

“I thought Han Jr. was your vote, we talked about that a few weeks ago.”

“Leia wants to name him Anakin.”

It’s a complete thought, but it can’t be all that Han wants to says “And…” Lando prompts

“And, My _wife_ wants to name our _son_ after a monster who helped destroy the galaxy, blew up her planet, tortured us both, and tried to turn our best friend into the same kind of monster he was.” Han said, “and she looked me in the eye and said she wanted to name our innocent baby after him.”

“Tell her no.” Lando offers, “She doesn’t want Han Jr. I don’t blame her, so come up with something else.”

“Lando,” Han says, as though he hadn’t heard, “She wants to name our son after my childhood hero. The hero with no fear. The General of Open Circle fleet. Best pilot in the entire Grand Republic Army. Her _father_ , Anakin Skywalker. Sometimes I have to remind myself why asking Leia if the entire family can change our name to Skywalker is a bad idea. I mean, I know why she wouldn’t want to, but she has the right to it, Luke’s mentioned it a few times and damn, I’d get to make people call me General Skywalker. Everything my 9 year old self could have ever wanted.”

Lando makes to refill Han’s glass, but Han shakes his head, “And it’s Darth si _thing_ Vader, who _personally_ tortured _me_.”

“Which is kind of an honor, if you think about it.” Lando adds

“But he also...came back.” He says the words with a sort of wonderment. The truth is, he and Lando, they don’t really know what that means. “I don’t understand it.” He says, “But Luke and Leia like to tell the twins the story, a lot. They don’t go into some of the gorier details, obviously. But, Leia and I talked about it. And she said, she wants them to know what love and The Force and people are capable of at there best and worst. And, I don’t understand it, but it's a miracle. And, my childhood hero saved Luke and killed the Emperor. Its like a fairy tale.”

“You did marry to Princess, who’s training to be a Knight.” Lando offers

“And in fairytales you name the new baby after the orphan’s heroic dead parent, right?” Han says "I don't understand The Force, I'm the odd one out in the family that way. But it _feels_ right. It feels like what we should do."

"You can always name the next one Han Jr." Lando offers and pours them another drink.

 

“They talk to them, did you know.” Han asks a standard hour and half a bottle later.

“Who talks to who now?" Lando asks

"Luke and Leia, they talk to Skywalker and Kenobi." Han says "Anyone ever mention that?"

"Aren't they dead.” Lando asks after a moment's consideration. “That’s the point, right, they’re dead now.”

“Yeah,” Han agrees thinking distantly that the twins are going to wake him up at dawn the next morning, and the hangover is going to be murder. “They are dead, but apparently, Jedi can do a thing, and be ghosts or something. He show up and talk to Luke and Leia, sometimes the kids, apparently, but Leia doesn’t let that happen unsupervised. Sometimes Chewie or Wedge or you or someone will take the kids out, and Leia will just yell at the ghost for hours.” To Han it just looks like she’s screaming (and sometimes sobbing, and sometimes laughing) at thin air, but she never fails to come away with a sense of peace around her.

“Ask them to ask Kenobi about Cato Neimoidia, I want to know if that story’s true..."

"If I can remember any of this in the morning I will. I wanted Luke to ask his old man what he thought of having a name sake.”

The next morning, with the worst hangover since the Alliance was in full swing, and the giddy shrieks of toddlers, he forgets all about it.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [tumblr](http://darkmagyk.tumblr.com/).


End file.
